PLPCO: means the Public Lands Policy Coordination Office. See Utah Code 63L-7-103
Protected wilderness area: means an area of wilderness that has been designated under this chapter as part of the Utah wilderness preservation system. See Utah Code 63L-7-103
Wilderness: means a roadless area of undeveloped state-owned land, other than land owned by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, that:
(a)
is acquired by the state from the federal government through purchase, exchange, grant, or any other means of conveyance of title after May 13, 2014;
(b)
retains its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation;
(c)
generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with minimal human impact;
(d)
has at least 5,000 contiguous acres of land, or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition;
(e)
has outstanding opportunities for solitude, or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; and
(f)
may contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value. See Utah Code 63L-7-103
(a)
the private landowner shall be given rights as may be necessary to ensure adequate access to the privately owned land by the private owner and any successors in interest; or
(b)
the privately owned land shall be exchanged for state-owned land of approximately equal value.
(2)
If the School Institutional Trust Lands Administration owns land that is completely surrounded by lands within areas designated by this chapter as protected wilderness:
(a)
the School Institutional Trust Lands Administration shall be given rights as may be necessary to ensure adequate access to the land owned by the School Institutional Trust Lands Administration and any successors in interest; or
(b)
the land owned by the School Institutional Trust Lands Administration may be exchanged for state-owned land of approximately equal value.
(3)
If a valid mining claim or other valid occupancy is located wholly within a protected wilderness area, the executive director of DNR shall, by reasonable regulations consistent with the preservation of the area as wilderness, permit ingress and egress to such surrounded areas by means which have been, or are being, customarily enjoyed with respect to other similarly situated areas.
(4)
Subject to available funds, PLPCO is authorized to acquire land, or interest in land, through purchase from a private landowner.
